Kinship Ecolab launched in Cork
The Kinship Ecolab has been launched in Tramore Valley Park. The structure below is an example of sustainable building using the historic ‘ramming earth’ method of construction with just wood, soil, and reeds required for the structure.
The Kinship Ecolab is designed as a communal space for workshops, communities, creative innovation, and educational activities with a focus on sustainability, climate transition, circular economy and knowledge sharing.
The ramming method involved incorporating a small percentage of cement with clay type soil sourced locally and compacting this into multiple layers to form the walls and pillars. The roof is entirely formed using wooden beams and the ancient practice of thatching using reeds from a bog. Built on the former landfill site and beside Carroll’s Bog, the structure complements the natural habitats on which it stands and cultivates the concept of resource use and the need to be able to return materials to the land once used.
Developed as part of the Kinship Project, the project is a long-term art project aimed at creative innovation to tackle ecological decline and the climate crisis. Started by artists Marilyn Lennon and Sean Taylor, the project founders, are support by the Creative Ireland Creative Climate Action Award from 2022 and partnered with Cork City Council since 2021.
Tramore Valley park, a former landfill site that has been developed over the last 10 years into an attractive space for exercise, sports, collaboration, and a gathering space for communities.